Friday, April 23, 2021

PM must act now on slave labour World Cup after Super League collapse

Following the collapse of the European Super League, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Sport, Jamie Stone MP, has called on the Government to "speak out against slavery" associated with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

According to data compiled from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, 6500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago. 

Several human rights organisations have raised concerns about Qatar's treatment of migrant workers who arrived in the country following the successful 2022 World Cup bid. There is consensus that the infrastructure supporting Qatar's World Cup has relied on the practice of modern-day slavery, with little to no action from the Qatari Government and with minimal comment from the UK Government. 

After the Prime Minister's reaction to the ESL Jamie Stone MP said:

"Fury over proposals for a European Super League has forced Boris Johnson to take action, but the League is just one example of how football has been hijacked by a privileged few.

"Johnson is talking a good game now, but if he is serious about the future of football, he must not stop here. The human rights abuses carried out by Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup are horrific. The stadiums have been built on the back of modern-day slavery. The Government knows this but our Prime Minister continues to bury his head in the sand. 

"If the Tories really care about football, they will take action to save the game at all levels. Fans deserve more than an opportunistic Prime Minister who picks and chooses when he wants to care about football. The very spirit of the game is at stake."

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